I thought marriage was a breeze until I had kids. I thought parenting was easy until the firstborn became a toddler. I thought two kids was a juggling act until I had three. Yeah, don't bother reading my thoughts. They will probably be wrong. ~The Denise half of Dwayne & Denise

Saturday, January 4, 2014

2014 Booklist

It’s January 4th, and I only have 3 titles so far, so I’m probably not going to get through 365 books this year. Dwayne sent me, myself, and I to the cabin for a few days of alone time, and for 24 hours, I got to read my latest obsession, the first book in a trilogy of an author I really enjoy (#1 on the list). Happy holidays to me!

3)Read Right: Coaching Your Child to Excellence in Reading by Dee Tadlock. I picked up this book on the recommendation on a chance encounter who (3 degrees of separation) knew that Garfield HS in Seattle used this program for its struggling readers. When I began this, I had to vent in a document I called “Read Right notes—Stupid things it says that make me angry”. I did read the whole thing because it turned my brain (and a lot of my graduate work) on its head….pardon the pun. I’ll be gnawing on this information for a while, but I will give the author a D for unprofessional writing.

2)As Texas Goes...: How the Lone Star State Hijacked the American Agenda, by Gail Collins. I’m not sure exactly why the title appealed to me. Maybe I need a boost in feeling Superior in Seattle while laughing at Texas, but it was a really fun audio-read. First it gave an insightful historical perspective of what being a Texan means, from the Alamo to the Empty Spaces paradigm. Then it gave several examples from financial deregulation, education, business, and global warming that “as Texas goes…so goes the nation.” I think the author began in earnest to be fair and even-handed, but by the end of the book, you could tell she was rolling her eyes. I’ll read more by her and try not to have nightmares about Texan presidents.

1) Theft of Swords, Vol. 1 of Riyria Revelations, by Michael J. Sullivan. Some of the final books I read and loved in 2013 were two prequels of a fantasy adventure genre. So I was really excited when the 650-page first volume of the actual trilogy came in just before Dwayne sent me to the cabin for a few days. I read it in less than 24 hours in a overstuffed leather chair in front of a cozy fireplace. It was the perfect book to read in the perfect setting. Think of it as a book along the same style as The Princess Bride, but one you would never read aloud to your children. (It’s a tad bit violent with magical dragon-weapons eating people gruesomely.) This books sets a high standard for fun reads for the rest of this year. Luckily, I have two more extra-thick volumes of this series to go.